Wildlife

‘Tis The Season For Uinta Ground Squirrel Babies

By |2021-04-18T15:23:53-05:00June 2nd, 2019|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been seeing baby Uinta Ground Squirrels and two days ago I was finally able to photograph some of the cute little balls of fur near their burrow.

Yellow-bellied Marmot Pups Greeting Each Other Outside Their Burrow

By |2022-04-04T07:20:10-05:00May 20th, 2019|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Wildlife, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

We didn't stay long at the Yellow-bellied Marmot burrow because I wanted to take my mom to the Spiral Jetty and we still had a long, dusty way to go but we enjoyed the time we had with the pups.

Red Admiral Butterflies And Wax Currants In Bloom

By |2021-08-05T18:08:36-05:00May 17th, 2019|Categories: Red Admiral Butterflies, Shrubs, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I photographed male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds a few days ago in the West Desert I also took a few moments to photograph some of the butterflies nectaring on the blooms of the Wax Currant bush which included Red Admiral butterflies.

Luke’s SWOT Analysis And Desert Diorama

By |2023-01-05T04:09:55-06:00May 11th, 2019|Categories: Bighorn Sheep, Coyotes, Davis County, Dead Horse Point State Park, Emery County, Rattlesnakes, The Wedge, Utah, Wayne County, White-tailed Prairie Dogs, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Okay, so you may be wondering who Luke is? Luke is my youngest grandchild, he is 11, he is in 5th grade and he lives in North Carolina.

Painted Lady And Mourning Cloak Butterflies On Fragrant Sumac

By |2021-05-23T06:33:01-05:00May 9th, 2019|Categories: Box Elder County, Mourning Cloak Butterflies, Painted Lady Butterflies, Utah, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Mourning Cloak butterfly I photographed five days ago not far from where I photographed the Painted Lady was also nectaring on Fragrant Sumac and it too looked a bit worn because they are a migratory butterfly species as well.

Photographing Uinta Ground Squirrels In A Wasatch Mountain Canyon

By |2021-04-18T15:28:08-05:00May 8th, 2019|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago while up in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains I was able to finally realize a personal goal while photographing Uinta Ground Squirrels.

Adult Uinta Ground Squirrel Close Up In The Wasatch Mountains

By |2021-04-18T05:24:42-05:00April 30th, 2019|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I didn't get any photos of the Uinta Ground Squirrels while I was up in the canyons last week and I will need to fix that soon because I adore these furry, dark-eyed ground squirrels.

Yellow-bellied Marmot Family In Early Spring

By |2021-03-01T13:38:26-06:00March 18th, 2019|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Yellow-bellied Marmot pup spent most of its time exploring the area around its burrow, climbing up and down the rocks, sitting, standing, scratching its fur, looking around and being a marmot pup in the wild where they belong.

Yellow-bellied Marmot Pup Warming Up On The Rocks

By |2022-04-04T07:22:25-05:00March 7th, 2019|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Wildlife, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yellow-bellied Marmots are also called "Whistle Pigs" and "Rock Chucks" so I have to wonder should I call their pups "Whistle Piglets" and "Rock Chucklets" or just call them cute and adorable?

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Resting On A Boulder In Wayne County, Utah

By |2022-10-02T08:45:23-05:00February 22nd, 2019|Categories: Utah, Wayne County, White-tailed Antelope Squirrels, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

I photographed this White-tailed Antelope Squirrel in 2016 near Torrey in Wayne County, Utah, the squirrel was resting on a boulder a couple hundred yards away from where I was camping.

Mountain Cottontail On A Bright January Morning

By |2022-10-02T11:06:42-05:00January 26th, 2019|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Mountain Cottontails, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I haven't seen rabbits for quite some time on the island so when I spotted this Mountain Cottontail yesterday on a small snow-topped hill I knew I had to get photos of it.

American Bison Bull Grazing With Snow On The Ground

By |2024-02-08T04:54:06-06:00January 5th, 2019|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I can remember the day I photographed this American Bison bull grazing with snow on the ground clearly in part because I was seeing the island with a friend who hadn't been there before which is akin to seeing the area with fresh eyes.

2018 Year In Review For On The Wing Photography

By |2024-04-01T12:51:40-05:00December 31st, 2018|Categories: Baltimore Orioles, Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, California Gulls, Cedar Waxwings, Northern Mockingbirds, Peregrine Falcons, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Say's Phoebes, Tundra Swans, Wild Turkeys, Yellow Warblers, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

All in all, as 2018 comes to a close I realize how fortunate I am to see all the birds that I do throughout the year as a bird photographer, to be able to do what I love and to love my feathered subjects too.

Yellow-bellied Marmot Pup With A Pale Face In Northern Utah

By |2021-03-01T14:04:19-06:00November 29th, 2018|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

At one of the burrows where I photographed Yellow-bellied Marmot pups in the spring there was one pup of the five that had a paler face than the other four had and I thought that was interesting.

Feathers & Fur – Short-eared Owl, Shaking Brewer’s Blackbird and a Curious Long-tailed Weasel

By |2023-10-02T18:26:37-05:00October 25th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Long-tailed Weasels, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

So it wasn't a great morning but it wasn't all that bad either because I was able to focus on a Short-eared Owl, Brewer's Blackbirds and one curious Long-tailed Weasel.

My Two Most Recent Moose Sightings And My Frustrations While Photographing Them

By |2024-03-03T09:37:56-06:00October 7th, 2018|Categories: Moose, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have often written that bird photography isn't easy and that it can be frustrating, wildlife photography can be much the same and my two recent sightings of Moose in the Wasatch Mountains can prove my point easily.

Cutest Bee Flies in the World on Rabbitbrush & Curlycup Gumweed

By |2021-05-16T06:42:54-05:00September 15th, 2018|Categories: Bee Flies, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed some of the cutest, fuzzy Bee Flies in the world this week nectaring on Rabbitbrush and Curlycup Gumweed in the Stansbury Mountains of the West Desert.

Western Branded Skipper Butterflies And Rabbitbrush

By |2022-08-22T04:22:28-05:00September 7th, 2018|Categories: Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, Video, West Desert, Western Branded Skipper Butterfly, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I saw plenty of Western Branded Skipper butterflies nectaring on blooming rabbitbrush in both the canyons I explored yesterday morning and I can't resist, nor do I want to, photographing wildflowers and butterflies.

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant Plus a Bee in Flight

By |2022-10-08T10:05:09-05:00September 5th, 2018|Categories: Box Elder County, Honey Bees, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On Sunday I was up in Box Elder County looking for birds but I also felt I had to stop and take some images of Rocky Mountain Bee Plants that were blooming along side the road.

Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly Photos From The Wasatch Mountains

By |2023-12-12T09:25:45-06:00August 15th, 2018|Categories: Colorado Hairstreak Butterflies, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I was photographing birds when I spotted a hairstreak butterfly land right in front of me and took some images of it, I didn't know at the time it was a Colorado Hairstreak butterfly, I found that out later after I got home.

Young Bull Moose Plus Least Chipmunks In A Mountain Canyon

By |2024-03-03T09:06:21-06:00August 9th, 2018|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Moose, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I haven't just found and photographed birds this week, I have also had some furry creatures in my viewfinder including a young bull Moose and plenty of Least Chipmunks.

Monarch Butterflies and Rocky Mountain Bee Plants in Northern Utah

By |2022-10-08T10:05:36-05:00August 5th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Monarch Butterflies, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last year I found plenty of Monarch Butterflies on the Rocky Mountain Bee Plants on Antelope Island and they were a delight to photograph as they fluttered around going from flower to flower sipping nectar from the delicate blossoms.

Female Great Spangled Fritillary Nectaring on Musk Thistle in the Wasatch Mountains

By |2021-05-16T06:58:44-05:00July 29th, 2018|Categories: Great Spangled Fritillary Butterflies, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week while I was up in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains I spotted a female Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly nectaring on a Musk Thistle so I felt I had to take photos of she sipped the nectar of the flower.

Least Chipmunk Eating Utah Serviceberry Berries

By |2021-07-13T14:01:56-05:00July 28th, 2018|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Shrubs, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm always happy to photograph the other things I see while I am out photographing birds and that includes cute critters like this Least Chipmunk nibbling on the fruits of the Utah Serviceberry shrub.

Male Flame Skimmer Dragonfly – Libellula saturata

By |2021-08-27T04:08:37-05:00July 20th, 2018|Categories: Box Elder County, Dragonflies, Flame Skimmers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I caught a flash of orange that drew my eye and watched as this male Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata) dragonfly landed on a branch not far from where I had parked my Jeep.

Head On Eight-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly – Other Things With Wings

By |2022-07-19T15:35:48-05:00July 15th, 2018|Categories: Davis County, Eight-spotted Skimmers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago at Glover Pond there were several Eight-spotted Skimmer dragonflies that I aimed my lens at and of those I liked this head on shot the most.

Great Salt Lake Brine Flies – Important Food Source For California Gulls

By |2022-11-08T16:00:33-06:00July 14th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Brine Flies, California Gulls, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Brine flies that live in the Great Salt Lake are an important food source for California Gulls and watching the gulls feed on the flies is fascinating as they use several techniques to catch them.

Fritillary Butterfly – Other Things With Wings

By |2021-05-23T06:42:28-05:00July 13th, 2018|Categories: Summit County, Utah, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm going to ask for help later on today from bugguide.net with the identification of this fritillary butterfly. I don't normally have to ask for identification assistance but I need it for this other thing with wings.

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